Hearing School Of The Southwest Inc

Nonprofit Issues:

Education, Health

Address:

P.O. Box 2123 CoppellTX75019USA

Mission:

The mission of the Hearing School of the Southwest is to help deaf and hard of hearing children optimize their listening, speech, language and academic skills and their self-confidence so they can be successful in a mainstreamed educational setting and society.

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Reviews for Hearing School Of The Southwest Inc

Our Daughter Kacy came to Hearing school of the southwest when she was newly implanted she had no language but after all the hard work and dedication that the staff and teachers, our kacy was talking within three months of starting school!! She then recieved her second cochlear implant on her left ear and her language grew even more,she attended Hearing School of the Southwest for 2 years she has since moved on from Hearing school of the Southwest into mainstream Kindergarten, she is reading and has a vast language database, she has been promoted to the first grade!!! We were so blessed that Hearing school of the Southwest was there for us and Kacy. They are the best around, We are so grateful they came into our lives, We love this school. Thank you Michele Ketchum and Family

When was your last experience with this nonprofit?

The Hearing School of the Southwest is a great resource for parents, kids & siblings of hearing impaired children!! Our daughter attended the school for 2 years and had a great experience. The teachers, staff and speech therapists gave her all the right mix of a perfect preschool atmosphere for her to learn how to listen & speak. We love the HSSW!!

When was your last experience with this nonprofit?

My daughter's hearing loss was identified at birth, but she did not receive hearing aids until she was 4 months old due to much more critical medical issues. Since then, she has received auditory verbal therapy that I believe, has enabled her to learn to listen and talk more clearly than any child her age with typical hearing. Her scores are off the charts and I have many therapists to thank for this. We moved to TX last fall and I was so thankful to find the Hearing School. The people are helpful, supportive, and committed to seeing my daughter progress. She is now 3 and a 1/2 and we enjoy more conversation with her than we can stand! My first fear when she was born is that she would never hear her sister whisper in her ear. Indeed, she hears whispers, birds, airplanes overhead, the phone, etc. She doesn't miss much and I can't imagine not having taught her to listen and participate in the speaking world. The Hearing School is a great place whether your child is recently identified or just delayed. They have had great success, and through them, so have we.

I've personally experienced the results of this organization in...

My daughter talks so clearly, you would never guess she is hearing impaired. I do believe in miracles, but I also believe they can be facilitated by talented, committed, gifted people who have the desire and ability to change lives. This staff is awesome.

How frequently have you been involved with the organization?

About every week

When was your last experience with this nonprofit?

The Hearing School of the Southwest has been a very integral part of our daughter’s success. When we discovered that she is deaf we decided to provide her with cochlear implants. This meant taking an aggressive approach in speech therapy and education. When she turned three we sent her to a deaf education program through our public school system. She did well in that program, but they had to follow the districts guide lines and not the specific needs of our daughter. We had known about the Hearing School for awhile through other parents that were sending their children there. The speech therapist that was working with her was hired on by the school and we then decided to enroll her. Thanks to the hard work of the staff our daughter was able to attend mainstream kindergarten after only being at The Hearing School of the Southwest for a year. She just finished main stream first grade at her home school testing above the state level and moving on to second grade. We still use the staff at The Hearing School as a resource. We now have a son, who is also deaf with cochlear implants, and we hope to send him to the school to enjoy the same success that his sister has. Anytime that we run into a family with a child with hearing loss we ask if they have heard of The Hearing School of the Southwest and if not they do by the end of the conversation.

When was your last experience with this nonprofit?

My daugther was diagnosed with profound hearing loss when she was 3 months old. We didn't know what that would mean for her or how to help her learn to listen and speak. Our pediatric ENT recommended the speech therapist at the Hearing School of the Southwest because of their focus on teaching children to listen and speak and working with children with hearing aids and cochlear implants. We started the Mom/Tot group class when my daughter was 4 months old. She was the youngest one there and learned so much from participating and watching the older toddlers. The support of everyone at the Hearing School has been wonderful--we've attended parent ed nights where we've met other parents and children who have been helped by the Hearing School and who can share their experiences with cochlear implants and learning to listen and speak; we've been encouraged by the staff and therapists during our journey to get our daughter's cochlear implant; and we've seen the wonderful support the Hearing School of the Southwest received from the public and from its volunteers at its fundraiser this spring.

I've personally experienced the results of this organization in...

my daughter learning to listen and speak as much as possible--first with her hearing aids and now with her cochlear implant.

What I've enjoyed the most about my experience with this nonprofit is...

we have support and direction in how to help our daughter. When we were told that our daughter has profound hearing loss, we didn't know where/how to begin to help her--and the Hearing School of the Southwest has provided our foundation for helping her!

The kinds of staff and volunteers that I met were...

caring and involved with each child and family.

If this organization had 10 million bucks, it could...

help children with hearing loss all over Dallas-Fort Worth so that they'll learn to listen and speak and be mainstream when they start kindergarten--and will be able to participate fully in the hearing and speaking world all of their lives.

How frequently have you been involved with the organization?

About every week

When was your last experience with this nonprofit?

Our mission is to help families who have a baby or young child that has been identified as hard of hearing or deaf. Most identified babies or young children who are deaf or hearing impaired are born to hearing and speaking parents. These parents now have the option to choose that their child be able to listen and to talk. In order for this to happen, the child must be equipped with state-of-the-art hearing technology, either cochlear implants or hearing aids. Providing resources and rehabilitation therapy and educational services to these families is invaluable. Research tells us that early identification is a crucial first step for these children. Learning to listen and talk has a critical time element from birth to age 8. As individuals, we must establish a primary communication mode to be successful in life. A hearing impaired child can learn to listen and speak and be integrated into a mainstream educational setting by Kindergarten/1st grade if identified early. My primary job is to give resources to the parents who have chosen this communication mode for their child. I also teach the lower language level classes and direct the overall programs. If you want more specific information, you can visit our website at www.hearingschoolsw.com. We have successfully mainstreamed 21 children into the typical educational setting. Giving HOPE to families and hearing these children talk and tell their parents they love them is the best! Knowing these children will have a greater chance of receiving a secondary education and being less dependent on government assistance in the future is the reason I work for this organization

I've personally experienced the results of this organization in...

I personally seen parents who have been loss in grief from there child's diagnosis to being moved to HOPE and becoming their child's greatest advocate and teacher. I heard children re-tell me stories they have read and say the pledge of allegiance.

If I had to make changes to this organization, I would...

Offer longer hours and number of days to meet the needs of working parents. Make materials for in Spanish for Spanish speaking parents. Have Spanish bi-lingual teachers. Hire a social worker.

What I've enjoyed the most about my experience with this nonprofit is...

the generosity of Board of Directors and the vision of Dr. Fred Owens. Seeing families achieve the goal of mainstreaming their child into typical education settings. Hearing a deaf or HA child say “Mama or Dada” and “I love you”.

The kinds of staff and volunteers that I met were...

Incredible!! These are parents/ friends and board members who are the volunteers at the school. They help support each other and the activities at the school. They fundraise, clean the bldg, mow the lawn, and provide food for functions! They are the best!

If this organization had 10 million bucks, it could...

Make satellite locations to served families with babies so they didn't have to drive up to 50 miles for services. Set-up training programs for teachers/SLP in the public schools. Set-up degree programs for ORAL deaf teachers in secondary institutes.

Ways to make it better...

They had more staff to handle clerical functions. Answer the phones, paperwork, and overall office type support.

In my opinion, the biggest challenges facing this organization are...

Funds to continue scholarship programs and overall needs of the program.
Many babies are being identified who are born to spanish speaking parents. Materials and bi-lingual teachers are needed. Awareness materials for Pediatric Doctors and hospitals.

One thing I'd also say is that...

this organization is in its infancy stages and in order to grow and meet the needs of the community it need more major stakeholders who value making a life changing difference in a child. The gift of listening and talking for a lifetime.

How frequently have you been involved with the organization?

About every week

When was your last experience with this nonprofit?

When I think about all the help that my son, Thomas, currently receives from the wonderful staff at the Hearing School, I can't help but get tears in my eyes. He began his journey at the Hearing School in their parent-infant program. Ms. Sarah, their Cert AVT, ran the class and provided us with a wonderful learning opportunity. Both Thomas and I learned so much from her. This year, Thomas joined their 2-year old class and has made great strides. With the help of the Hearing School, Thomas is beginning to close the gap to reach his hearing peers. We would not be where we are today without Ms. Tami and Ms. Eileen, his teachers. These women are such a blessing to our family!

When was your last experience with this nonprofit?

I heart HSSW! Parent-infant program was a lifesaver. Wonderful staff. Both of my deaf sons were able to use the services at the school at some point. I appreciated all of the caring support as a parent and the sincere and fun relationships that the staff developed with my boys. Focus on each individual child and meeting their specific needs and goals was incredible.

When was your last experience with this nonprofit?

My son, Aiden, was diagnosed with hearing loss when he was 2 years old. After receiving this news I knew as a mom I had to do everything I could to give him the best chance at a normal life as possible. He was fitted with hearing aids and I began seeking out a speech therapist. My son's ENT gave me a name and I called the number. Well it turned out that this speech therapist worked at a school specifically for the deaf and hard of hearing...The Hearing School of the Southwest. I spoke on the phone with the director, Tami, for the better part of an hour. She was so amazing and answered all of my questions and told me all about their amazing program. I was so excited this school was in my home town and they were ready and willing to take Aiden. Aiden began speech therapy and started going to class. When he began his speech was limited to utterances like maaa, maaa, maaa, deee, deee, dee, etc. My son and I were not communicating through spoken words very well. Within that first year he attended HSSW and received therapy he increased his vocabulary immensely. Aiden attended HSSW until he was 3 1/2 and now has well over 500 words and is beginning to speak in sentences and make requests and ask questions. The Hearing School of the Southwest and it's staff are amazing! Thank you for all that you did for my little boy. HSSW IS A GREAT NONPROFIT! :o)

When was your last experience with this nonprofit?

The Hearing School of the Southwest is a tremendous private preschool for hearing impaired and/or deaf children. They provide expert teaching and therapy to families in the Dallas Fort Worth Metroplex. I have worked on staff at the school now 4 years. I have never been associated with more caring co-workers. They give of themselves 110%. They truly have a heart for these children and their families. They work, sometimes without pay, to make sure these children are successful. They make home visits, hospital visits, anything to reach out to these families.